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To promote stable, constructive labor-management relations through the resolution and prevention of labor disputes in a manner that gives full effect to the collective-bargaining rights of employees, unions, and agencies.

DECISION
AND ORDER

The National Treasury Employees Union (the
Union or NTEU) filed a request for assistance with the Federal Service Impasses
Panel (the Panel) to consider a negotiation impasse under the Federal Service
Labor-Management Relations Statute (the Statute), 5 U.S.C. § 7119, between it
and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Border and Transportation
Security Directorate, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (the Employer or
CBP), Washington, D.C.

Following an investigation of the Union’s request for assistance
concerning a dispute over the CBP’s uniform policy, the Panel determined that
the dispute should be resolved through single written submissions.The parties were informed that after considering the entire record, the
Panel would take whatever action it deemed appropriate, including the issuance
of a Decision and Order.Written
submissions were made pursuant to this procedure and the Panel has now
considered the entire record.

BACKGROUND

The Employer’s primary mission is to prevent terrorists and terrorist
weapons from entering the U.S.The
Employer is also responsible for, among other things, stemming the flow of
illegal drugs and other contraband from entering the U.S.The Union represents a nationwide unit of approximately 11,000 employees
who typically work as customs inspectors, entry specialists, canine enforcement
officers, import specialists, and in various support staff positions, at GS-5
through -11.The collective
bargaining agreement (CBA) covering these parties expired on September 30, 1999;
except for permissive subjects of bargaining, the CBA’s terms will remain in
effect until a new agreement is negotiated.[1]/

ISSUE
AT IMPASSE

The parties disagree over where employees should be permitted to wear
uniform cargo shorts.

POSITIONS
OF THE PARTIES

1.The Union’s Position

The Union proposes that the Employer maintain the status quo by
allowing “legacy” Customs Inspectors and Canine Enforcement Officers to have
the option of wearing shorts in all Class 3 environments.[2]/In 1999, the Customs Service and NTEU reached agreement on a nationwide
Uniform Policy which included cargo shorts as part of the Class 3 Uniform.Affidavits submitted from employees located in various ports of entry
into the U.S. show that hot, humid weather conditions exist throughout the
country.In such locations,
employees may be required to, among other things, work inside “a container or
aircraft cargo compartment where temperatures can reach over 100 degrees”;
process cars entering the U.S. during summer periods of high heat and humidity;
and conduct x-ray scans and examine trucks in temperatures and humidity that are
increased by vehicles’ engines, air conditioners, and compressors.Permitting employees to wear cargo shorts in these types of environments
would increase their comfort, and benefit the Employer by “[enabling
employees] to do a better job.”Contrary to the Employer’s contention that cargo shorts do not project
a professional image, other Federal agencies and law enforcement entities allow
employees to wear shorts with no apparent ill effects to their law enforcement
image.Further, during the previous
5 years when bargaining-unit employees have been permitted to include shorts as
part of the Class 3 uniform there have been no known complaints.The Employer, therefore, should be required to maintain the status
quo as it pertains to bargaining-unit employees.

2.The Employer’s Position

The Employer proposes that cargo shorts be authorized as a Class 3
uniform trouser only for officers assigned in the confined cargo environments at
CPB locations in South Florida, Puerto Rico, and along the Southwest Border.As a preliminary matter, the Union’s proposal should not be adopted
because it interferes with a number of management’s rights.In this regard, “uniformed CBP personnel come into contact
with a wide-range of both known and unknown hazardous substances with the
potential to burn, or be absorbed by the skin.”In addition, officers are required to spend extensive hours in direct
sunlight.Requiring employees to
wear long trousers “mitigates the harmful effects of Ultraviolet rays and the
risk of an officer’s incapacitation due to sunburn.”Thus, restricting the wearing of shorts for officer safety is
within the Employer’s right to determine policies and actions to safeguard its
personnel.[3]/Further, by potentially requiring officers to change from cargo shorts to
long trousers during the course of a tour of duty or overtime assignment, the
Union’s proposal also interferes with the Employer’s right to determine the
“methods and means” of performing work.

On the merits, the
proposal is designed to create one uniform policy for all CBP employees.CBP is a new organization with a new mission; therefore, it is necessary
for the Employer to “foster a new culture by developing a professional
uniformed image in order to maintain operational continuity, promote CBP’s
goal of presenting ‘one-face’ at the border, and meet [its] anti-terrorism
responsibilities.”Additionally,
the Union’s proposal is inconsistent with the agreements reached between CBP
and the other two unions representing employees affected by the policy.Therefore, the Union’s proposal to allow cargo shorts as an option for
employees in Class 3 environments would result in the “separate and unequal
treatment of the CBP workforce represented by NTEU,” causing an “unnecessary
distraction” from the CBP’s “priority mission” which “negatively
impacts” CBP and its personnel.Finally,
the Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations, who is the management
official with overall responsibility for CBP’s workforce, supports this
proposal.

CONCLUSION

Having carefully considered the Employer’s arguments essentially
questioning its duty to bargain over the Union’s proposal, the Panel declines
to retain jurisdiction over the parties’ dispute.In this regard, on the basis of the FLRA decisions cited by the Employer,
it is arguable that under FLRA case law the Union’s proposal interferes with
management’s right to determine the internal security practices of the agency.Given these circumstances, we are reluctant to issue an order addressing
the merits of the dispute until a decision regarding the negotiability of the
Union’s proposal has been rendered in the appropriate forum.This determination to decline to retain jurisdiction is made without
prejudice to the right of either party to file another request for assistance if
an impasse is reached once the legality of the Union’s proposal has been
established.

ORDER

Pursuant to the authority vested in it by the Federal Service
Labor-Management Relations Statute, 5 U.S.C. § 7119, and because the
negotiability of the Union’s proposal has not been established, the Federal
Service Impasses Panel under § 2471.11(a) of its regulations hereby declines to
retain jurisdiction over the parties’ dispute.

By direction of the
Panel.

H. Joseph
Schimansky
Executive Director

August 2, 2004
Washington, D.C.

[1]/There are two other labor organizations representing CBP employees to
whom the uniform policy applies: (1) employees formerly of the Immigration
and Naturalization Service (INS) are represented by the National Immigration
and Naturalization Service Council, AFL-CIO; and (2) employees formerly of
the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) are represented by the
National Association of Agriculture Employees.

[2]/Under the U.S. Customs Service’s National Uniform Policy, which was
implemented prior to the creation of the DHS, Class 3 environments include
land border passenger processing, cargo examinations, courier hubs, and mail
facilities.It excludes airport
and seaport passenger processing.Generally, Class 1 uniforms would be worn to attend
vigils, memorial services, and other honorary occasions.Class 2 uniforms would be worn in climate controlled air and
sea passenger processing facilities.Class
3 uniforms would be worn for all other assignments.Only inspectors assigned to work a full shift in areas that
are isolated from the traveling public may wear Class 4 uniforms.All other uniformed employees (firearm instructors, airport tellers,
animal caretakers, mail technicians, and Customs aides) wear Class 5
uniforms.

[3]/In its written submission, the Employer provided numerous FLRA
decisions to support its view that the Union’s proposal interferes with
management’s right to determine its internal security policies and
procedures to safeguard its personnel, under § 7106(a)(1) of the Statute.